Khalwa
Khalwa is being alone together in private with someone of the opposite sex who is neither a spouse nor a mahram. A mahram is a close relative one cannot marry. It is discussed regardless of setting, including, in contemporary fatwas, over a video call.
Often appears in
See the term in context
Is it Islamically permissible for a Muslim student to live with a Muslim family consisting of a divorced mother and three children, given that he has his own separate room and there is no khalwa (private seclusion)?
The basic ruling for traveling to non-Muslim countries for study and long-term residence is prohibition, unless the conditions for permissibility are met and one is safe from temptation. As for living with a foreign…
Is it permissible to return greetings to foreign men, while bearing in mind that Muslims are a good example and should show the chastity of the Muslim woman? And what is the ruling on cheerfulness in their presence? Is it permissible to greet Muslim men known for their righteousness? And what is the ruling on Friday prayer for those of them who are ill? Is it permissible for my husband to greet female nurses, and what is the ruling on joking with them? How should we deal with greetings from non-Muslims on our holidays? How do we invite non-Muslim women to Islam? Is my presence in a shared kitchen with two young men considered unlawful seclusion (khalwa)?
A woman greeting non-mahram men with peace (salam) and their returning of the greeting is permissible if there is no fear of temptation (fitna). Speaking between women and non-mahram men is permissible when there is a…
Is ascending in an elevator with elderly women, older women, or female relatives considered an unlawful khalwa (seclusion), and is the ruling of khalwa negated when two women are present?
Prohibiting private seclusion (khalwa) is general for every woman who is not a mahram (a close relative whom one is forbidden to marry), whether she is a close relative or a distant one, young or old. Private seclusion…
Questions that use it
Is foreplay that led to the emission of semen considered a valid seclusion (khalwa shar'iyya) that would return the wife to her husband without renewing the marriage contract after his apostasy and repentance, taking into consideration that their families did not enter upon them except after seeking permission, and must he inform his wife of anything?
Is communication via personal e-mail between a man and a woman considered a shar'i seclusion (khalwa), even if the interaction is brotherly?
Is a divorce that occurred after the spouses denied before the judge the existence of a legitimate seclusion (khalwa shar'iyya) valid, and what are the consequences for the husband?